International Terrorism

1
International Terrorism
2
History of Terrorism

• Terrorism has been used since the days of the
  Roman Empire
• Jews response to the destruction of Jerusalem and
  their expulsion from Judea in the 1st century CE
• The word terror comes from the Latin word
  terrere meaning to frighten
• The term terrorism was first used during the
  FRENCH REVOLUTION
• During the Reign of Terror in 1793-94 by the
  Jacobins they called themselves terrorists

3
Defining Terrorism

• The US State Departments definition
• . activities that involve violent or
  life-threatening acts that are a violation of the
  criminal laws of the United States or of any
  State and appear to be intended to
• intimidate or coerce a civilian population
• influence the policy of a government by
  intimidation or coercion
• affect the conduct of a government by mass
  destruction, assassination, or kidnapping
• There is no agreed upon definition by UN member
  states

4
Reasons for Terror

• Revolution/Subversion
• replace with a friendly regime
• National liberation/separation
• gain independence
• Anti-imperialism
• get rid of colonial power or any state that may
  have political or economic influences in the
  region
• Repressing political opponents
• Use intimidation to get rid of opposition or
  dissidents regime terrorism

5
Reasons for Terror cont.

• Radical Reform or Revolution
• Remove or change policies of hated domestic
  political authority
• Ethnic Rights
• Protect/establish rights of specific ethnic
  groups often over-looked/oppressed by a
  government
• Territorial expansion
• Imperialism

6
Ways to Reduce Terrorism

• Avoid wars avoid making enemies
• Free colonies/end imperialism political or
  economic
• Dont oppress your own people
• Avoid creating hated governments and destroying
  popular governments
• Avoid using extreme measures to solve problems
  excessive use of force will cause more terror

7
US Counterterrorism Policy

• Make no concessions to terrorists and strike no
  deals (This changed under the Bush Admin)
• Bring terrorists to justice for their crimes
• Isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor
  terrorism to force them to change their behavior
• Bolster the counterterrorism capabilities of
  those countries that work with the U.S. and
  require assistance (what the US is focusing on)

8
States that sponsor terror(according to the US
Dept. of State)

• Iran (since 1984)
• Sudan (since 1993)
• Syria (since 1979)
• Cuba (since 1982)
• North Korea taken of list in 08
• Libya taken of list in 06
• Iraq taken of list in 03

9
Main weapon against terrorists?

• INTELLIGENCE
• Isolation (political economic) of states that
  sponsor them
• If they are not sponsored by a state, then
  freezing assets of those who are connected

Identify the following FBI CIA NSA
10
Sanctions

• What are sanctions?
• Why are sanctions not effective tool in the fight
  against terrorism?
• Sanctions can only be applied to states not to
  terrorist organizations
• Sanctions that are put on states
• very rarely have the desired outcome weaken the
  terror sponsoring government
• often result in worse conditions for the civilians

11
Why is there so little terrorism in the US?

• Open political system (courts) reduces injustices
• Intelligence agencies (FBI, NSA, CIA) are very
  active
• Difficult for identified terrorist to enter or
  leave our country
• Targets (nuke facilities, govt buildings, dams)
  are well protected target hardening
• Lack of sanctuary given by friendly ethnic or
  religious groups
• Public opinion strongly opposes use of terrorism
  as a political instrument

12
Why the recent decline in international terror?

• Growing world democratization
• Stronger, interdependent international economic
  system
• End of Cold War countries no longer have Soviet
  or US aid/funding to carry out terror\
• Increased collaboration of world governments
  (IGOs)

13
How terrorism is carried out

• Conventional
• Bombs
• Vehicles/transportation
• Suicide
• Buildings/markets/schools
• Armed Combat
• Shootings/assassinations
• Stabbings
• Kidnappings
• torture

• Unconventional
• Biological
• smallpox
• Chemical
• anthrax
• Nuclear
• Missiles tractor trailers
• Cyber
• ID theft
• Shut down power grids

14
Terrorism the Nuclear Threat

• US Govt identifies Al Qaeda as the biggest
  terrorist threat to the modern world
• Biggest fear is that they will acquire nuclear
  weapons either from a rogue state or on the black
  market
• How can the world prevent this from happening?
• See reading Countering the Proliferation of
  Weapons of Mass Destruction and summary
  questions.